Second emissions reduction plan (ERP2) out for consultation until 21 August 2024
Date: 18th July 2024
If you are interested in how the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) works and what role it plays in New Zealand’s climate change response take a look at https://consult.environment.govt.nz/climate/second-emissions-reduction-plan/. The Ministry for the Environment is currently consulting on New Zealand’s second emission reduction plan. Submissions close on 21 August 2024.
The second emissions reduction plan (ERP2) will outline the actions that we intend to take to reduce emissions in New Zealand during the second emissions budget period (2026 – 2030). The ERP2 is a key tool to bring the Government’s climate strategy to life. This consultation includes policy proposals that sit across the Government’s five priority areas of its climate strategy and focus on key sectors: energy, transport, agriculture, forestry and waste.
Forestry in the Wairau Valley – June 2024 Photo: Jo Ritchie
The discussion document sets out how emissions pricing, and the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme in particular, will play a central role in our climate change response. Generally, the approach outlined in the discussion document is to support emissions pricing to drive net emissions reductions where it is most effective to do so.
The document also outlines seven key policies which the Government believes will have the greatest impact on reducing emissions, alongside other actions in each sector:
- Increasing renewable energy by reducing the consenting burden through Electrify NZ
- Targeting 10,000 public EV chargers by 2030
- Lowering agricultural emissions by giving farmers the tools to reduce emissions and through fair and sustainable pricing of on-farm agricultural emissions by 2030
- Investing in resource recovery through the Waste Minimisation Fund
- Improving organic waste and landfill gas capture
- Improving public transport
- Investigating carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS).
The Government is no longer on track to meet its third emissions budget, according to projections released with the draft Emissions Reduction Plan. Significantly more work is needed to meet New Zealand’s Paris commitments, which will likely result in billions of dollars being sent offshore to pay for international climate mitigation. Planting more trees is one form of offset mitigation but it would need to be significantly increased to have any chance of meeting our commitments. The Wilding Pine Network supports this principle.
Our submission will be a simple one along the lines of “The WPN supports the planting of more trees as an important component of NZ’s second emission reduction plan. However, success will involve planting the ‘right species in the right place’, with our particular concern being to ensure that any risk of unwanted wilding spread is avoided. The WPN is more than happy to advise on how this risk can be minimised.”
We encourage you to read the information and provide a submission by August 21st.
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